IN THE AIR.

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 2700, 20 April 1915, Page 4

IN THE AIR.

THEJDISAPPOINTING ZEPPELIN. AN AMERICAN VIEW. • Innocent bystanders have not yet ; been completely disabused of their belief that the German Zeppelin Will one day swoop upon the enemy in tlie romantic fashion that the novelists pourtray. Of tliis the latest indication is a rumour, appearing in tho newspapers with tbe beginning of 1915, to the effect that the building of new Zeppelins is being rushed night and day, and that as each new armoured air-cruiser passes successfully its trying-out tests, it is spirited away to some unknown concentration camp, there to await tlie moment of its mysterious errand. This tale is of the same, tenor as others in the past, and one and all, one expert believes, are based on an entirely false idea of the possibilities of dirigible aircraft. In tlie Philadelphia Public Ledger, AYaldemar Kaempiiert, managing edij tor of the Scientific American, de- ! Clares tlie Zeppelin as liopeless as a raider and bomb-dropper, as it would _bo as a transport. Military officers ' of all nations knew ten years ago that bomb-dropping was impractical warfare, for "during the siege of Port Arthur, more than ten years ago, the Japanese mortars dropped 5001b shells on the protective decks of Russian warships. Tho Russians never blinked, and tlie warships remained alloat, not even disabled. Many facts of the same kind Jiad long ago con- , yinced military experts that not mucli ' i.s to be expected of bomb-dropping. Tliere was one supreme moment I when bombs might have been dropped j with awful effect on massed troops, ' and that came when Sir Jolin j French's forces crossed from England to the Continent. Nearly a hundred thousand men were transported iv 1 ordinary ships, tJie -■ thin decks of i which could easily have been pierced iby a bomb of proper design. Yet we Jiave heard of no attack upon tlie steamers that conveyed the British troops to France and Belgium, nor upon the regiments themselves as they . landed and marched in close formation to the nearest railway station. | Even if we assume that tliese troops were transported and landed at night, as many of them undoubtedly were, a bomb dropping air-ship equipped with search-lights' might have ventured upon an attack. If more evidence is required of tlie utter futility of dropping bombs from dirigible airships, it will be found in the capture of Liege, Nauiur, and Maubcrge. Where were the Zeppeline when these strongholds were taken:*' "Wo heard of great guns, but little of great airships. In truth, the mere existence of that wonderful .42-centimetre mortar, winch Jias reduced fort after fort in Belgium, shows how little the Germans relied on the offensive power of tlieir Zeppelins. Wliy construct sucli ponderous, expensive artillery if a Zeppelin can destroy a steel-turreted fortifica- j tion by tbo simple expedient of releasing a few hundredweight of Jiigh explosive from a Jieight of a mile? Tbe notion of a Zeppelin invasion of England, Mr Kaempft'ert finds even more grotesque and improbable. Englishmen liave been expected to shiver at this bogey for some time, and such Jiysteria has at times liad the prevalence of an epidemic throughout England; but never more than a pinch of common sense was needed to dispel it. The general staff of the German army would, in tlie writer's opinion, reveal themselves as little better than imbeciles should they order sucli a raid.